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Monday, April 1, 2013

Sort-Of Spring

On mornings when I have the day off and where there's no particular agenda except some minor errands to be run, and spring is peaking ever so slightly through the 38 degree weather, I like to think of my old job at the zoo. I sold tickets, and normally around this time we processed a lot of field trips and early morning arrivals, most notably on "Senior Tuesdays" where bus loads of the senior-ist of citizens would show up and enjoy the peace and quiet of a mostly uncrowded zoo.

One morning a gentleman showed up bright eyed and bushy tailed and parked himself at my window before I even had a chance to settle in and count my change. Usually it's distracting when someone wants to talk to you prior to opening because your brain hasn't had time to prepare the "customer service" attitude and you feel that they should know that in advance. Terrible, but you know what I mean. In any case he was funny, charming, at not at all senior-like. We joked around a bit and I asked him what he was doing at the zoo so early. "It doesn't look like it, but I'm already retired. And some mornings, as a retired person, you just have to wander around and hope that someone gives you coffee." I laughed; what a fantastic aspiration. Low and behold two hours after opening he wandered out, coffee cup in hand, and made his way back to the parking lot.

My point being, that on a sort of spring day like this, I just want to pull on my jeans, wander the neighborhood, and hope that someone can give me coffee somewhere along the way.